Food Supply Chain - Sustainability in Small Milk Industry

Abstract

Farming is very important for the development of a country economy and, in Brazil, cattle (meat and milk) is one of the most important sectors of this segment. This paper aims to develop a conceptual framework to identify the key characteristics of the Short Food Supply Chain and, moreover, propose a model for the implementation of sustainability in the sector of small milk producers and dairy products. The research presents data from small producers located in Parana, Brazil and utilizes the better condition of Italian producers in the Veneto region as a benchmarking to identify opportunities for improvement by adopting the concept of Short Food Supply Chain. The conclusion of the analysis showed that there are significant gains for small farmers with the adoption of the proposed model because it solves several issues that currently hinder the development of the sector.